▪️Ace▪️ “What ideas did you have for the candy account?” Two days later, Emily stood in his office doorway, and Ace forced himself to ignore the jump of his heart. Circles ringed Emily’s eyes, and Ace knew without asking that Emily hadn’t slept well since Olivia had left. “Hello to you too.” He lazed back in his chair. “Yeah, sure.” Emily gestured impatiently toward her own office. “Bring your notes.” Without another word, Emily walked away.Ace shut his laptop with a snap and scrambled after Emily. Once he at at the conference table, he cocked his head. “What’s wrong? You look like shit.” “I’m fine,” Emily practically snarled at him. “What do you have to tell me?” What Ace wanted to tell her was to chill the fuck out, but he held off, knowing Emily would shove the words down his throat. Instead, he opened his laptop. “The candy company account is being marketed strictly to children, but are you aware they have a retro line, as well as a no-

▪️ Emily ▪️ Emily knew having Ace come to work at The Company would be a mistake. As if it wasn’t enough that their drunken hookup replayed nightly in her head, Emily found herself thinking about the man when she should be concentrating on business. That near encounter in her office was the final straw. She couldn’t risk having something like that happen again because she knew it wouldn’t be long before she crumbled. And damn Ace for making it easy. “Idiot,” she muttered, knowing full well the blame rested solely on her shoulders. She was in charge and she’d set the rules, only to break them the first chance he got. As angry as she was with Ace, Emily was angrier with herself. She knew what she had to do, and it was a damn shame since Ace was proving himself to be not only a hard worker, but dynamic, sharp, and ahead of the game, more so than some members of the team. Emily had passed by Simone's office when she knew the two were meeting, and se

▪️ Emily ▪️ Wildly, she grabbed Ace's hand, and they sprinted the two blocks to his co-op, where they ran past the startled concierge and practically fell into the elevator, their hands roaming over each other’s bodies with abandon. “Fuck, you’re so gorgeous. I can’t wait.” Ace tugged at her and WEmily moaned. “You can’t…I won’t let you fuck me in the elevator.” “I just need to touch you. Prove it’s really you here with me.”Ace slid his palm into Emily's pants and cupped her, sending shockwaves of desire pulsing through her. His pants grew hot and damp. She’d never been so turned-on in all her life, and it was with her best friend’s younger brother. Her assistant. How fucking wrong was this? How fucking wrong was it that she didn’t give a damn? The elevator reached her floor, and they tumbled out. Emily fumbled with her keys for a moment, her shaking hands making it impossible to open the lock. Finally they entered, and Ace shut

▪️Ace▪️ He took a chance and swept the lock of hair off Emily's brow, then brushed a kiss over her half-open mouth. “A little of both. I like to live dangerously.” With a bounce in his step, he hastened to the kitchen before Emily could change her mind, and grabbed the loaf of whole wheat bread on the counter. Emily's soft footsteps followed him, and Ace tensed, preparing for another of her quicksilver mood changes and an order to get out. “The jam is in the refrigerator.” Ace peered over his shoulder at a sight he never thought he’d see after their tumble together at the wedding. Emily, naked except for panties, hair disheveled, lips still red from their frantic kisses, looking so enticing,Ace was ready to toss the sandwich and jump her. Instead, he narrowed his eyes. “You keep your jam in the fridge? That’s silly. It doesn’t spoil. It belongs in the cabinet.” “No it doesn’t.” Choosin

▪️ Emily ▪️ “I’ve been washing myself since I was a girl. If you keep this up, the dog will have an accident, which I’ll make you clean up, plus we’ll both be late for work.” She turned off the water. “And I’d have to dock you for missed hours.” “Bastard.” Laughing, Ace swooped in for a kiss, his lips soft and wet. They clung to each other for a moment, stood there with the water dripping off their hair. “This is really nice.” Ace ducked his head and grabbed a towel, but not before Emily spotted the pink rising in his cheeks. Her heart did a swoony dip. They dressed, and Emily's nerves rose with each step toward Ruth's apartment. At six thirty in the morning, she wasn’t prepared for a barrage of questions she didn’t have answers for. She let herself in with her key. Foxy was already waiting by the door, and Ruth was walking out from the bedroom. At the sight of her with Ace at her shoulder, her morning smile brightened to supernova and her brows flew up.